I like the trick David Acer offers this month (December) in Genii, "Postcards from the Dead." The combination of Out To Lunch and Glorpy has always been good...

What puzzles me is that this is pretty much the same trick that Eugene Burger describes as "Seance" in Secrets and Mysteries for the Closeup Entertainer, 1982, which was later reprinted as part of Mastering The Art of Magic by...Richard Kaufman.

Not only that, but a variation of the trick was described by Eugene Burger in a later book, Spirit Theater, 1986, published by...Kaufman and Greenberg.

As far as I can tell, Acer has changed two things: He uses postcards instead of business cards or 3x5 cards, and he doesn't put a pen under the Glorpy.

I realize that this is a variation of a trick from Natural Selections II, which came out in 2000. How was this trick not credited to Eugene?

Ah ha! I knew it! All of David Acer's contributions to date have been intended merely to lull us into a false sense of security. Now he begins his rampage of pillaging.

And to think... I supported him. I feel so abused.

I'm going to play the "Acer Whacker" game... but this time, I'll mean it!

-Ryan Pilling

P.S. There is a chance that it was simply unknowing boo-boo on his part... but this being an internet forum I am obligated to take a strong viepoint, lacking actual facts, and then stubbornly stick to it.

Bummer. I didn't know about Eugene's trick. I likely would have submitted "Postcards From The Dead" to Genii anyway, because I like the presentational aspects of the routine, but I CERTAINLY would have credited Eugene.

However (and I know I'm going to get in trouble for this, but...), I think an editor should e-mail a columnist when he has submitted a trick that overlaps with a routine by another columnist that was included in a book published by the aforementioned editor... That way neither the editor nor the columnist have to eat crow later on when some astute reader discovers the trangression.

Andy is on fire baby! Andy, what'cha doing back in the UK? Mr. Acer, and I use that term only cuz I like the way Acer looks in print, I believe you didn't realize it was very simular to Eugene's routine. That may not count for much, but a cyber hug is better than no hug at all.Steve V

While we're on the subject of out to lunch, I came up with this little bit while working on an item for the Reality Twister book. I can't believe it's original, but if you don't know it and you do a trick using OTL, you'll definitely want to give it a try.

Take a piece of double-stick tape and put it along the cut edge of the gaff. (Actually, put it on before you cut the gaff, then cut the tape in half, so it's thinner.)

Now the rubber band will hold the half-card in place securely, so there's no chance the gaff will slip out during performance.

Pete, great idea with the double-sided tape. You may want to publish that somewhere, but first, be sure to thumb through all Eugene Burger's old books to make sure it isn't there.

Steve V, thanks for the vote of trust. As I said, however, I likely still would have submitted Postcards (the routines aren't identical, at least not from a presentational point of view), though Eugene's effect would have been cited right off the top.

Andy, Richard Kaufman has been steeped in magic all day every day for the past 25 years. He lives it, breathes it, eats it, sleeps with it, wakes up with it and (apologies to his wife), goes to bed with it. He has influenced the field in ways that will be felt for decades to come. If he misses a credit, it ain't for a lack of trying.